Daniel Radcliffe ‘Leaving Room’ For Harry Potter Return

Saying goodbye to a popular franchise is never an easy task. For so many people the amount of time and emotion that they’ve put into watching a particular series of films creates a bond that endures long after the final installment. The characters and storylines become more than just works of fiction – the nostalgia and fondness they evoke is often a very real aspect of people’s lives.

These sorts of emotions can be especially strong when a film franchise is based on an equally popular series of novels. Many fans of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potterbooks have grown up with the boy wizard and his magical friends and when the final novel was published in 2007, the finality of it all didn’t completely hit home for some until 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 marked the culmination of the 8-part film franchise.

Despite these 7 novels and 8 films, the story of Harry Potter is so engrossing for fans that there has always been hope that one day, J.K. Rowling would pick up the story thread once more. Since launching his career playing Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe has gone on to a variety of different roles, but none as iconic as the boy wizard. In a recent interview with Radio Times, Radcliffe admitted that he hasn’t completely written off the possibility of returning to the role that made him a household name. Said Radcliffe:

“It would depend on the script. The circumstances would have to be pretty extraordinary. But then I am sure Harrison Ford said that with Han Solo and look what happened there! So I am saying, ‘No,’ for now but leaving room to backtrack in the future.”

Of course, Rowling has hardly put the series behind her – having recently written the script for the upcoming Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; not to mention, her involvement with the popular stage production, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts 1 and 2. Though The Cursed Child will only be released as a script book at the end of July, it is very much being treated by fans as the long hoped for eighth novel in the series. However when it comes to idea of writing another Harry Potter novel, Rowling remains just as non-committal in her approach as Radcliffe.

Given the amount of fresh Harry Potter material that Rowling has been churning out, it isn’t too far fetched of a concept to consider that Harry could one day be back on the big screen. As Radcliffe has pointed out, audiences have been seeing the return – or promised the return – of a variety of beloved franchises and their stars as of late, so the question of more Harry Potter really comes down to Rowling’s ability to create more extraordinary lore.

For now however, Potter fans will have to make do with what they’ve been given – which considering how quickly much of it has arrived in comparison to other popular culminated franchises, is quite spectacular. Should Daniel Radcliffe one day make his return as Harry Potter, fans will no doubt be elated, but until that time there will always be the novels to reread and the films to revisit.